Tale as old as time…
By Eric Goldman
Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.
This was a very fun, fast-paced episode though that finally brought together all of Season 3’s storylines in a notable way – with Powers Boothe at the center of it all, as one would expect when Powers Boothe is present.
We want to hear it.
So yes, the Monolith is of great importance to Hydra and, as suspected, Gideon has plans for Andrew/Lash as well. I enjoy Hydra as an ongoing enemy on Agents of SHIELD, but I do have to say a part of me was hoping for something totally new as Fitz looked into the symbols he found on Will’s uniform and their origins – And when they noted it resembled a ram, I was excited by the prospect of this being the MCU version of Zodiac. It still could be Zodiac as well, of course, but now we know for sure it’s Hydra – and that Hydra has existed for centuries, long before the Red Skull, in a notable example of a retcon.
That strange bit of extra work to cram Hydra into everything aside, there was a lot to enjoy this episode. Coulson using all sorts of manipulation and infiltration to find out the truth about Rosalind (or “Ros”), even on the heels of their recent romantic connection, was an interesting turn of events – especially when she ended up being the one to accuse him of having “no emotions,” when she found out what he was doing.
Thankfully, Ros was actually not a bad guy and had been used by Gideon for his own means, as we learned he was attempting to create as many Inhumans as he could (yeah, this guy is freaking busy!). Mark Dacascos’ silent Giyera revealing himself to be one of these Inhumans led to a cool fight between him and Bobbi, capped off by a nice sucker punch from Hunter.
Hunter and Bobbi’s undercover mission up until then was fun as well, and I loved Hunter’s cover as a hacker who’d been behind the hacks of everything from the to Ashley Madison.
Fitz and Simmons continued to deliver this episode and it’s really impressive how they’re selling the impossible situation Simmons is in. I’m rolling my eyes in advance at those who would label her “slutty” or something silly for passionately kissing Fitz while trying to find a man she just admitted she loved, as they’ve really sold that she’s genuinely torn here between these two men. This is a love triangle done right. Her rebuttal to Fitz proclaiming how perfect Will is – “You dove through a hole in the universe for me” – was a great moment.
Meanwhile, damn, Ward continues to prove he can be sadistic, as he tortured and murdered left and right. The scene where he whispered to a flight attendant that he was about open the door on that airplane, and her demeanor changed from flirty to terrified, was highly effective. Plus, his first face to face with Andrew showed once again just how much he wants to hurt his former teammates.
I have to mention how funny it was when Coulson had all of those SHIELD agents gathered in front of him, including a bunch of non-speaking extras. You know those unnamed other characters feel like they go to Bayside. “Oh, who’s Coulson going to pick for this mission? Let me guess…. Oh, Zack, Slater and Kelly! What a shock!”
In one fell swoop, we learned that Gideon Malick is the mastermind pulling every single string imaginable right now. And while some of it was bizarre, to be sure – there’s an ancient Inhuman they worship and want to bring back to Earth? – it sure was entertaining. Hydra being a part of all of this, and suddenly being centuries old, seems like a stretch, but most of “Many Heads, One Tale” rocketed forward, with engaging action sequences and character interaction throughout.
